Prisoner of Freedom
by Two Leaf Clover
Summary: After being forcibly rescued from captivity, Pache decides that she will devote her service to the one that gave her this freedom. Unfortunately, to her, it matters not how bloody the job is, how ruthless the boss is, nor how many enemies she makes along the way. As long as she can repay her lord, Frieza, and make him happy.
1. Chapter 1

_Fire. _

_Fire and utter decimation. _

_These were the things that lingered fresh in her mind. The feeling of heat on her skin from the pure heat radiating from the burning remnants of civilization._

_It was the last thing she could remember before she awakened in a completely different state. Rather than the scorching feeling of burning, everything was cold and hard. She was weak and barely conscious, dully lit rooms being all that she could distinguish through her blurring vision. _

_That was all that she could remember then. _

_In the moments before her life became what it was now. _

_Like a beacon of bitter karma raining down these hellfires upon those that stole her as revenge, it seemed like justice was finally coming full circle. Those same fires she experienced, that these people kindled with their own hands were now being fire down upon them in the same way. _

_From her perch within a cage-like containment unit, she watched as one by one, each of them faced the same fate: complete obliteration on the spot. _

_These people suddenly seemed so weak that there were hardly even remnants of their person after being blasted. _

_She sat up to the edge of the cage, peering through the spaces in the jagged 'bars' that kept her contained. The piercing yellow rings of her eyes amidst the black of her sclera scanned the carnage with little expression outside of a twinge of disbelief. Her hand, dyed a peachy orange reached up over the bars of the cage, resting there as she lied in wait. _

_She could escape..., She could have escaped at any time, but that was only escaping from the containment. Her usual problem was that she could get out of there, but the numerous people could overpower her if they caught wind of her escape. _

_With this attack going on... _

_"I finally have a chance..." Her hoarse, weak voice barely managed to reach her own ears over the sound of the ground splitting apart or the deafening cries just outside. _

_Outstretching her palm over the jagged bar, she pushed, attempting to carefully inhibit her strength as not to draw attention to her. With a solid grip and careful wriggle, the bar was dislodged form its place, breaking like crystal. With only a couple more out of the way and placed in the cage behind her, she was able to clear a suitable space. _

_Carefully bringing out her leg, she weaved her tattered clothing through the space with her, avoiding every chance to snag on anything. _

_Her eyes scanned the area, and once done, she bent, aiming to jump to a higher ledge. She had tried this escape routes a few time and got decently far. There was a place on the other side with a dividend capable of squeezing into. If she could just make it there, she could possibly go undetected. _

_As soon as she leaped, she felt the top portion of her collar being snatched up, and her immediate reaction came into play. From her mouth shot beams of ki, her body flailing viciously against this unseen figure. Her tail whipped from her back, smacking into the figure at her rear. Once feeling it was there with her tail, her body tucked in,, as if ready to attempt struggling free once more, but was supplemented by the outward stretch of her leg to kick out with momentum against the figure. _

_"Ghk!" _

_As the cry of pain sounded, she squirmed, able to free herself from the grip. Her foot touched down on the ledge, head shifting to try getting a look at what exactly she was dealing with. _

_They were intergalactic species of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The only thing she could distinguish that unified them was that they were all wearing the same armor. Her eyes took each of them in with swiftness and precision, resembling the predatory look of a feral animal. There were about four or five of them around. _

_'My kick hurt him...' She thought momentarily, 'These guys aren't so tough. They're stronger than the ones that captured me first... but there aren't nearly as many of them.' _

_Her lips upturned into a strong pout, fists clenching at her sides, 'I can take them...' _

_As the first rushed forward, she was already in the midst of making her move, stepping back once as he started with a hook, and ducking under the punch of the one that acted behind her. As the circle closed in slightly, she swept her leg clockwise, knocking down two that recovered with flight. _

_'I expected that.' She didn't want to knock them down, just make them back up. They were toying with her right now, so most normal threats like ki, she wasn't too concerned about. _

_As the two flew back to escape, she ran out towards them, causing the other to fly in order to follow, as they fired ki, she leaped, effectively leading their aim to follow her. _

_Once she took to the air, their stream of ki coming out to trail her, she really let them get a taste. The flurry of ki approaching her from behind, were suddenly long out of her range, her speed picking up massively as she took an abrupt nose dive to allow the ki to suddenly crash into each other, from the three or so behind her, and the two in front. There wouldn't be nearly enough ki from the two to clash with the three, leading to them taking the brunt of the hit, blinded by the smoke of the collision they caused. _

_"Hmn!" She huffed, turning whilst floating not far above the ground and opening her mouth, a thin, but rapidly coning ray of orangey ki blasting out at them. From here, she touched down on the ground amidst the debris. She would doubt it would kill them, but this way, they would have to look for her if they wanted her. _

_'Finally..!' She hopefully thought to herself. As instinct would have it, she peered back for a moment, seeing them right on her trail. 'What the Hell? How did they find me so fast..!?' _

_"She thought it would be that easy?" She heard one of them scoff. _

_"We're in the deeper parts of space, I'm sure they haven't seen something like a scouter a day in their lives!" _

_A haughty bunch, but that was besides the point. 'That must be what they're using to find me...' She thought, peering back once more at them to see if there was anything she could exploit to slow them down or if there were any incoming attacks she would need to avoid. _

_Much to her surprise, she instead she saw that they had stopped flying after her entirely._

_'Did they just lose interest?' She thought, brows knitting suspiciously at the unusual behavior. 'No, that isn't right. At least one of them would keep it up. They wouldn't just all lose interest at once...' Her gaze turned back to face front, her eyes snapping open to the obstruction affront her, though it was too late in that moment. A tall male, with deep green hair and pale blue skin quickly snatched her up - both of her wrists firmly and accurately swiped and gripped in just one of his hands. _

_"Oh?" He mused, raising his arms and taking a good luck at the captive he had just taken on. "Well you don't look like a Garinian, now do you?" _

_Growling savagely, she attempted again, arching and kicking and trying to struggle against his grip. This time, it was much different. He was only holding her with one arm, and yet all of her body weight was hardly enough to make it even budge. Desperation running high, and will to escape encroaching on her person, she fired off more beams from her mouth, each one easily misdirected by his alternate hand merely shifting the direction of her mouth with strong fingers against her jaw. Even with all of that pent up power, he made it seem like a simple matter. a_

_"Now, now, no need to behave so hideously." Though his choice of words should have felt calming, they felt instead, cutting and sharp, as if he were trying to taunt her instead. _

_Her hardened, cold yellow eyes stared into his own, appearing so ill-intended and dark, that they nearly looked through him. _

_"Zarbon!" One of the other soldiers spoke up. So there were six of them total after all, "What are we to do with her?" _

_"I say we kill her! The little wench kicked me in the stomach!" Another, much more crude-speaking soldier spoke up in displeasure, "It was an eradication mission, anyhow, wasn't it?"_

_"That it was," Zarbon casually remarked, peering back down at the girls' rage-filled eyes, "But our mission was to eradicate the Garinian race. This doesn't look like one to you, now does it?" He seemed to have a perpetual smirk locked on his face, a look that pushed more malice out of the girl's eyes. "I say we take her to Lord Frieza, he may have different plans." _

_Her eyes widened, mouth open to reveal the slivered fangs in her mouth. "NO!" When she heard words like that, it gave her the same disgusting feeling of when she was captured. If they took interest, she would find herself in another prison. _

_"So you can speak," The male taunted once more, turning away despite her now much more vocal cries and pleads for freedom. _

_As she was shackled and placed inside the pod, she was certain her future was sealed. She had the will to escape, but not the will to die. More than anything did she want to escape the shackles of captivity, but it was not a case of 'anything goes'. Dread and lament crept into her mind, regret for attempting escape, but then, with those scouters they mentioned, they would have simply found her anyway. Freed from one cage, just to be stuffed into another. _

_By the time the trip had concluded, her anger was subsiding, but her hatred was just reaching its peak. _

_When the man known as Zarbon dragged her into the unfamiliar room by her shackles, she stared at the creature before her. The one they had informed her went by the name of Frieza. _

_She was resigned. _

_In this moment she was prepared to accept the fates that she would be greeted with: either another cage would be awaiting her to live out the rest of her days, or she would be killed on the spot, a prisoner of fate. _

_But her eyes. _

_Those clouded, scathing eyes filled with contempt and darkness... _

_...He could use someone with such eyes. _

_The tyrant raised a hand, looking down at her with the appraising eyes of a god as he spoke. _

"Pache." His voice rang out, soft and relaxed despite the gravity of the situation they were currently faced with. Just as always, the current air meant nothing to him - nothing outside of his control and nothing he couldn't handle.

Filled with an internal excitement for the address she received, the peachy orange skinned girl lowered before him in a bow of the utmost respect. Her tail swayed, practically wagging to give away her enthusiasm, as she looked up from beneath her head of spiky white hair, yellow ringed eyes staring warmly and gleaming over with admiration,

"Yes, my lord?"


	2. Chapter 2

Pache idly peered down at her white gloved hands. She took no interest in the vast, colorful planet she and the rest of her new comrades of Frieza's men laid waste to, nor the people that scattered the expanse of the bright orange, craterous lands; the only thing she was concerned of in the current moment was breaking in this new, bizarre clothing.

"You aren't shirkin' are you?" The pink one spoke up, his name, as she had heard from the combination of addressing and scolding by various others, was called Dodoria.

Without a care, her lips poked out into a '3' shape, a pout that he wore childishly, "My pile's over there, I'm waiting for you to finish!" She retorted back. Since her _'rescue'_ as she liked to refer to it as, her personality had come to settle - from cold and biting to anyone but Frieza, to more akin to a playful kid. One could only assume the sheer happiness that came from being able to move and speak when and as she so pleased caused this more spirited shift.

Let Dodoria tell it, there was nothing to be satisfied about. "There _is _no mine and yours!" He scolded in retort, growing irritable from this newfound demeanor. _'If you ask me, she was better off sniveling, that little brat.' _

"Hm?" Pache mused to herself, animatedly tapping her gloved finger repeatedly against her chin, "Really, no kidding? Then what was that I heard you talking about... '_We'll see if she can even get a hundred...'_" She mimicked by memory, "...are you saying you didn't actually just want me to take a hundred?"

Dodoria grit his teeth, a sigh of exasperation clearing his lips. The population was rather small, so it wasn't a difficulty, but even so it served to well piss him off that he was the only one she gave that kind of lip to. He had half a mind to really show this kid what for, but acting so abruptly without orders on Frieza's behalf would surely land him in a predicament. _Then again..._

"Girl," Zarbon spoke up, touching down from who knew just where at the moment. Clearly, as he spoke, it was made apparent he hadn't made an effort to remember her name, but he continued anyhow, "You and I will be going back."

"HUH?" Dodoria shifted his head, whirring around, eyes widening in disdain, "You've gotta be kidding me." She hadn't even done anything!

"As a newly appointed soldier, there are..." Zarbon masked a sneer amidst his angled gaze, a quiet chuckle of amusement escaping his lips, "...things that Lord Frieza finds it imperative for her to see and understand." He shifted his head, golden eyes catching Dodoria from the corners, "You do remember, don't you?"

"Remember?" Pache perked up, angling her head so that her yellow eyes amidst the black of her sclera could catch a glimpse of either of them, "Remember what?" She watched carefully, awaiting a change in their expressions or otherwise indication of something she should be concerned about. She was able to go around and do and speak as she pleased, so long as she kept to the work she was given by Frieza, which she could accept, but it did not yet mean that she trusted him.

"Lord Frieza has something he would like us to see." Zarbon simply, yet still cryptically clarified. He looked to her quickly, then back to Dodoria just as swiftly, as if disregarding her just after, "You can handle this and the next on your own, can't you?"

The bright pink skinned male rose his hand up to his scouter, looking over the signatures registering on the device to get an idea of the workload ahead of him. It wasn't as if he couldn't handle it, it was more so about the principal of being left with the labor while they went back to the luxury of the ship. Though, if all else failed, he could take out some of that frustration on the inhabitants he had yet to be rid of.

"Yeah." He merely replied, if not a bit dismissively, folding his arms gruffly, "I got it covered." His lips twisted into a pout obscured by a scowl, _'At least tell Lord Frieza I'm handling all this on my own, won't ya?' _

Pache stood up from her place, putting away her childish game of playing with Dodoria to look between the two present once more. She felt the slightest twinge of uneasiness with just how secretive the two seemed to be, but more so how out-of-the-know she found herself. The two were higher-ups compared to her...

_'Y'know, now that I think about it...' _She mused, _'Why send me with these guys?' _If she just got recruited in, why did he lump her up with two of his apparent favorites?

"Girl," Zarbon addressed once more, snapping his fingers in front of her daydream-locked eyes.

"Hah?" She withdrew her face from his fingers, knitting her brows together, "I'm listening..." She clarified immediately, folding her arms.

"Right." He turned on his heel so swiftly and fluidly that it sent his green braid flipping loosely behind him, catching Pache's disdainful eye as it did. Even though she watched him and his every move, she turned her head back to take one last look at Dodoria, who was proceeding in the other direction.

She would keep her guard up.

That being said, she followed Zarbon, seeming to scan him closely from that vantage. Even if she couldn't see his face, she could watch for any sudden tension in the body, any abrupt movements, or any likewise indication that following him would be unwise. Even if everything seemed normal in that regard thus far, it was easy to grow unsettled when recalling the wide margin between their abilities. Even if she knew something were coming, there would be no guarantee that she could make anything of it.

Lost in her cautious studying, she was almost completely unaware of the blue man's golden-eyed stare shifting sideways back at her. "You seem tense."

The mock-care stocked into that sentiment caused the bit of fur towards the tip of Pache's tail to bristle. It was such a 'kind' tone that she could only imagine the kick he got out of saying it specifically to poke fun at her nervousness. _'What an ass!' _She quipped internally, biting her lip which upturned into a pout. "It's called thinking..."

"Oh, you do that." After that minor bite, he seemed to take to silence once more as they approached the pods they arrived in, which were well-within walking distance. It was a relief to be left with the silence once more, but the comment gave her just enough of a reason to feel self-conscious and overly-aware of her behavior. He knew full what he was doing, she had no doubt about that, but she would have much preferred that he behaved blatantly or rudely than that off-putting 'kindness'.

"Safe trip," The green haired male spoke up once more, causing a sour expression to form on her face. _'There he goes again!' _She bitterly internalized, slipping into the pod without another word in his direction.

Once settled in, she tapped in the coordinate, huffing to herself while leaning into the material of the interior. It was comfortable enough to go without complaint for trips for up to several months; she experienced that when she was first taken back to Frieza. This planet, however, was relatively close by, and so long as Frieza hadn't gone too far away from his previous location, they were even just within a few days away.

"Hmph..." She huffed, feeling the tension beginning to flow from her back as she leaned her head back. As her eyes began to close, the frustration eased into her mind, past the newfound calm. The dark claw-like nails of her fingers dug in harshly to the side of the pod.

_"A deal." She recalled those words escaping Frieza's mouth on their first meeting, a clarification soon following to draw out the specifics, "You can have your precious freedom, and in exchange, you will work for me." _

In the moment, it didn't sound like freedom, but at the same time, it didn't sound like death. Considering the position she was in could have led to her shoved out into space vacuum, obliterated on the spot, or thrown into some type of prison, the alternative of admittedly limited freedom and room & board coming with her new 'job' didn't sound bad.

_'I would be lying if I said I didn't think of escaping.' _But what good would it do? She wasn't sure how strong Frieza was, but she couldn't even beat Zarbon, who was a subordinate, so what chance did she have..? If they hadn't come along, she would have been stuck in that hovel being treated like an animal... given scraps and dribbles of water, just enough to sustain her without letting her get too strong, all because her previous jailers couldn't figure out how to kill her.

_'I may not get lucky twice.' _Her hand raised, index lightly brushing against her lips thoughtfully as her eyes opened to stare up at the ceiling of the pod, _'There's no guarantee Frieza will get nearly as much long-term interest out of me. If that's the case, I'm out.' _She had a feeling 'out' didn't just mean she would be asked to leave.

If that were the case... she would just have to be one of his best soldiers.

_**Current Location: Frieza #128**_

Come the end of the voyage, Pache could hear the automated voice recite her destination, causing her eyes to slowly open. Sleeping and thinking had taken up majority of the journey, and despite counting each hour closer they became, the tension had managed to ward off until she heard that.

She bit her lip, chewing it roughly as the pod release a opening hiss and its door came open.

The planet they arrived back at was the same as the one previously, indicating that the threat Frieza faced there was clearly more than his henchmen had initially anticipated. The place was completely battle scarred, and amidst the piles of inhabitants stacked around, she could see the armor of saiyans that distinctly marked members of Frieza's army.

"Oh dear."

Hearing Zarbon speak up, Pache continued to look ahead, only catching a glimpse from the corner of her eye, rather than turning to face him.

"What a mess." He folded his arms, looking around the place, though in truth, he seemed not the slightest bit perturbed. It sounded instead as if he were giving some sort of leisurely appraisal to the aftermath of the carnage, "With all these casualties, I'm sure we will need to grow our numbers." He mused aloud, though with a clear glance in Pache's direction, he spoke his next words seemingly to her, "Let us hope this hasn't put him in a foul mood."

"Mm." Pache could feel her body stiffen slightly, but as the sounds of Zarbon's footsteps grew further away, she forced herself to release a breath to relieve that tension. _'Yeah, let's hope.' _

Her eyes got to work as they entered the larger ship, observing everyone and everything. The number of henchmen were still plentiful, but just as Zarbon had mentioned and she had noticed, they were much fewer than normal. Not only that, but the mood of the room seemed to be filled with a somber, more uneasy tone.

When the two of them entered, all eyes shifted to them, wary responses and cautious back-straightening, most-likely in response to seeing Zarbon.

_'Am I allowed to ask what happened or something?' _Pache thought to herself. Admittedly, her curiosity was running wild. Of all the stories she had heard about Frieza, and many of the real accounts of his monstrous strength, she had to wonder. What could have been more than he anticipated?

As they ascended the ship to Frieza's personal chamber, the silence between the duo broke only momentarily when Zarbon decided to speak.

"Consider this the only kindness you'll receive from me." He began, shifting his head to her to speak. His voice was naturally regal, but in the current moment carried a certain softness that masked a darker undertone of wariness.

"Zarbon?" Pache questioned subtly, as if questioning the sudden shift he exhibited, but with her acknowledgement he continued.

"Not that you shouldn't be at any other time, but in this moment when you stand before Lord Frieza, you are to be on your best behavior." He shut his eyes to her, turning instead to face the direction their ascension port would arrive in, "You've been warned."

Her brows furrowed, her fingers reaching back to bypass the short, curved horns at either side of her head and course through her thick white hair. As if she weren't tense enough to begin with, she had to deal with this? If Zarbon weren't concerned about the state of things, he wouldn't have bothered to say something like that; she had already gathered that much -or at least she assumed. Huffing quietly to herself, she murmured a begrudgingly spoken yet genuine, "Thanks..." She felt it easier to play around with Dodoria, especially if he plucked with her first, but situations with Zarbon alone, or in confronting Frieza directly left her less jovial. Then again, being able to die at any moment would have that effect on anyone, right?

As the rising floor they stood upon locked into place, Zarbon stepped off, Pache quickly following. The former reached the back right of the tyrant's personal seat, lowering his knee and bowing his head. "My lord," He respectfully addresses.

Pache quickly followed his example, bowing, despite not speaking.

"Zarbon," Frieza began casually. Despite the angle Pache could see him from, and despite the relaxed tone he took, it was clear to see he was leaning his head towards his fingers that massaged his temples, and aggravation lay dormant in his voice, "I'm glad you're here."

The pale blue skinned male slowly turned his gaze up, warily watching. "Of course, my lord."

"Do you have _any_ idea how disappointing it is to see your hard-earned workers fail so miserably little more than an infestation." He heaved an almost exaggerated sigh, turning around to look at the two before him, his dark stare intently boring into then. "I think I need something to ease this stress." He settled his hand back against the arm of the chair, look then transferring to Pache.

"Ah, yes," he murmured aloud to himself, "I assume you've been _enjoying_ this freedom of yours haven't you?"

Something about the way he spoke sent an involuntary shiver up Pache's spine. She could feel her thin, whip-like tail begin to coil against her mildly quivering leg. Her tongue wet her lips, which she forced open, "Y-yes, my lord." Curse her stammering. Her brows knit a level of contempt flashing from the depths of her eyes.

The tyrant loosed a quiet chuckle. Something about that look never ceased to amuse him lately - it was the look he found useful, if not somewhat familiar, but more than that, the mixed emotions and signals he took from interacting with her was so particularly absurd that he couldn't help but find himself entertained. He could only imagine that his two favorite henchmen were probably enjoying toying with her as much as he did.

"Regardless," He leaned back, dismissing his prior questioning for a moment, "We'll be setting course for Planet Vegeta once Dodoria returns." He turned his back to them once more, waving them off, "Go get her socialized."

"Yes, my lord." Amusement crept into Zarbon's expression, leaving Pache both confused and concerned. What socializing exactly meant by his standards, she wasn't sure, but anything Zarbon got a kick out of had to be bad news. Zarbon, contrarily, as he stood, seemed to be properly delighted by the idea.

Socialization of the new personnel was necessary, after all.

**A/N: This is still a little strange for me to write right now. I'm a lot better with things that I am very familiar with, but I guess I don't watch Dragon Ball Z nearly as much, so playing with the continuity is a bit odd for me. I do know that "socialization" is a big thing for Frieza's army though, since he likes to use social competition to force them all to work harder basically. Super manipulative guy. **

**I think I have an idea of where I want to go with the next few chapters now though, and I know how this is going to end for the most part, so that's good. IT'S STILL SO WEIRD ON ME THOUGH!**

**I'm thinking about dialing back a little and writing something with less plot cohesion necessary and more whimsy, so maybe Yamcha, Tien, or Gohan will be one that I write for from DBZ next (Maybe at the same time as this one). **

**OH! **

**Another fun thing. **

**This planet issue is a completely original plot issue, because it's related to another OC in this challenge (I like tying in all of the OCs into the same canon universe for this). That story will be touched on in more detail when I write for Piccolo. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed! If you have an opinion on who I should write for next (out of who I named, or anyone else) let me know! Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

They were descending once again, and Pache could feel the way Zarbon's piercing eyes shift to her once more. She could only guess that he was subtly judging her for how she stammered in front of Frieza after specifically being warned to behave herself. Then again, it seemed all of these monsters were only finding a sense of entertainment out of the way she struggled under their intimidating presences. She evaded his glance, peering at nothing more than her own reflection in the lift.

"What does he mean socialize me?" She finally asked to break the silence, letting her ringed eyes slowly ease back in his direction through the layer of white bangs accurately keeping her gaze hidden.

"It is just as he says," Zarbon cryptically replied, though upon seeing the way she whirred around to huffedly look at him, he turned away to mask his amusement before continuing. "Socialization is one of the cornerstones of working in an organized group. Team morale and whatnot."

She kept her skeptical gaze even after hearing that very bare response. Somehow she doubted that was all there was to it, and as he stepped from the lift, she quickly hurried behind him. She tried to walk at least somewhat at his side through the hallway, so that she wouldn't have to raise her voice too much in order to get her words across and avoid prying ears. "I don't really expect a group like this to worry about morale..."

"We aren't savages," The blue skin male quietly scoffed under his breath, "What an ill opinion you have."

"That's not what I mean," She sputtered to correct, only to deflate to the tune of his chuckle. She felt her cheek swell with a touch of air. Poking and prodding at Dodoria was always so easy - he had such an awful temper as it was and treasured his seniority so much that it took nothing to get him riled up; that was always fun. People like Zarbon, however - it seemed like she was always on the victim end of their interactions, and it made it hard to even talk properly, let alone mess with him. "With your line of work - Team morale? That hardly even sounds right."

"I never said it was without a more...efficient purpose," he clarified. Once they reached the door to a room, rather than enter, he turned around, folding his arms as he looked down at her. "Socialization holds a great benefit to us; it inspires competition. So long as you are under Frieza's command, you are aiming to be the best."

Pache's tail stiffened slightly, though she quickly attempted to lower it and hook it loosely around her thigh. Of course she was aiming to be the best - though she thought that was just her own little objective to capitalize on her freedom... never did she expect that she now had to deal with a whole ship of people that were aiming to become Frieza's favorite little soldier. "So I could become more pivotal than you?"

Zarbon's chuckle was now not hidden nor was it slight - it was open and clear but with far much more of a mocking feeling. "No. To do that, you would have to exceed my strength. Aim smaller."

She should have passed up the opportunity to be petty for a quick laugh, "So stronger than Dodoria, got it," but she just couldn't help it.

It appeared this gave a positive response, as Zarbon seemed quite thoroughly entertained. Either way, he placed his hand down atop her shoulder, waiting for the moment that the automatic doors of the nearby room opened. At the very appearance of this higher up, the whole room went still and quiet, giving Pache the opportunity to see just what she was going into.

It... was sort of like a break room. There were tables, vending machines, and what looked like a place for food, too. On top of that, there were tons of people lining the tables, seeming to discussing things, talking each other up, playing games and oerall just having a decent time. Her eyes scanned every inch of the room, and she could feel the weight of nerves crashing down on her. She had been with them for a little while, here on this ship, but for the first little while, they were keeping her isolated to give her nutrition and boost her strength. Then as soon as she was well enough, she was off from place to place with the top henchmen, she assumed, to break her in.

This place..? With so many people? She hadn't seen this many 'comrades' since... well... she couldn't remember. Not to mention with Zarbon standing there, it was like every pair of eyes in the room were fixated. Her needle-like fangs buried into her lip, furrowing her brow deeply and accidentally seeming to scowl at them all.

Zarbon left them with a very simple demand and message as he removed his hand from her shoulder, "Socialize her." Didn't it sound like he was passing the buck? Frieza told him to do that, not to leave her alone and tell these strangers to. That didn't stop him from leaving though, and with Pache awkwardly standing in the spotlight like an strange space deer, she couldn't object.

The silence lingered as Zarbon left, though as the mood lightened, -even slightly-, the heavy quiet began to evolve into the exchanging of quiet whispers. It wasn't the same as solely eyeing the new kid... instead, it seemed more like sizing up competition. She was small, less than threatening in appearance alone, an the way she stood like the weight of the world was crushing her, she definitely didn't seem like much to be concerned about. That was probably why the conversations gradually returned to normal.

Within the crowds, Pache could see the numerous soldiers of all different shapes and sizes, most likely from all different planets and backgrounds, just as she was. She eased into the room, quietly and carefully, looking on either side of her as she did so. Everyone was looking, leering, scoffing, glaring, and so on, but for some reason the less than warm welcome Pache received slowly began to boil a determination within her. She ground her teeth lightly against her tongue, sizing up to say something in her defense to the callous whispers, but just as she opened her mouth, a much stronger, more assertive female voice boomed out.

"He said SOCIALIZE her, you knuckleheads."

The woman slowly rose up, hooking her fingers in against the chairs of a few of the other men. She was tall, exceptionally tall, with a deep complexion, and a dark, rich brown shade. The thing that stood out, aside from her height, and her naturally intimidating demeanor, was definitely the large tail she boasted behind her. It was rough, and seemed to connect in bumps, like that of a -space- scorpion. She glowered down at the lot of them, waiting as if daring for anyone to speak up against her or speak in general with anything but agreement.

"Then go ahead, since you're so adamant," And...of course, it was Cui. He was so arrogant that he tended to throw his mouth around in any situation, honestly, whether it involved him or not. He was so confident in his strength and capability that he felt himself entitled to speak where he desired. In this case, however, he was merely greeted an uprooting jerk of his chair that sent him spilling into the floor.

"Anybody else?" The woman inquired, though the room by this point was so sparked with laughter, that it wasn't like they would be heard anyhow.

Pache opened her mouth - but she found no words coming out. She wanted to say something, ask something, or at least figure out what kind of mood or relationship allowed them all to behave this way... was it normal..? Before she had the chance to say anything - _again -_ she was abruptly finding herself seated at one of the rounded tables among a few other males.

They took one look at her awed expression and wide eyes, and assuming the cause, took it upon themselves to quell her.

"That's Tamarind," One of the shorter ones began, snickering quietly under his breath, "whatever you were gonna say - don't. She's one ugly woman when you get on her bad side."

The man was delivered a swift elbow nudge, a quiet mutter in tow, "Don't say that out loud, you fool."

By this point, Pache's head should have been appropriately disconnected from her neck by how far it was tilting to the side. She was unbelievably confused, and their banter did little more than drive her home further to that end. "What's...going on..?" She uttered in quiet.

Another, as one would have it, more rational member seemed to take up the explanation from there, "Depends on what you're asking."

Finally given the moment to speak her mind, she cautiously took in her surroundings again; some o them were still looking at her, and some others were already wrapped back up in their conversations. That Tamarind girl, contrary to what she had just rattled everyone for, was sitting alone, seeming to look over a few things in silence. "What is... all of this?"

"Socializing," Came the response again, as the rational male plopped his chin in his hand. "Here on this ship, you're only good when you're better than the guy sitting next to you."

"So... competition... for survival..?" That was the only thing that made sense to her. If Frieza wasn't too keen on having them around, they would be disposed of, plucked off the ship, and sent to deep space. None of them had much value outside of a toy or prisonor... or...contracted servant - as in her case, she assumed.

"Survival?" The rational man actually seemed... taken aback? Though he was abruptly interrupted by the loud one from before, "If you die, you die. Favor doesn't have too much to do with that." He rubbed at his chin, a crooked grin spreading across his face as he hummed in wonder, "But the favor does come with some nice perks. Prizes, recognition, lighter jobs, and command power to throw away-"

"He's assuming, 'cause he's never been on that level before," One of the female members added. She sprawled her long nails across the table, making an imaginary shape, then pressing her nail against the center, "At the top, we have Lord Frieza, because of course we do." She dragged her nail down, and even the light gloss against the tabletop triggered the sound of carving, "Then we have the henchmen. The handsome one, and the lump." Pache caught a couple of the other soldier rolling their eyes to this comment, though when she went to confirm she was speaking of 'Zarbon and Dodoria', the men briskly shaking their heads to warrant her silence caused her to quickly close her mouth.

"From there, it's a little more muddled. Cui was up there for a time, 'til Tamarind came along, but let him tell it, he's still a shoe-in for Frieza's next favorite. The stronger you are, the better you perform, and the more useful you are to Lord Frieza. Then he gives you little incentives to keep up the good work - incentives everybody wants. Constant competition; everybody wants the bragging rights and the perks."

Pache slowly nodded her head, slowly beginning to comprehend this. She was still somewhat surprised that they could all exist in the same space in such a carefree manner under those circumstances. With this sort of contest, one would assume the tension would be rampant, or people would be aiming to eliminate the competition... though at the very least, it gave her certainty that Frieza wouldn't simply discard her. Not to mention what had happened when they arrived... apparently he's down men now, so it only further assured her a place.

"I'm in it for the authority," One of the men huffed, "Let's see 'em push me around when I'm calling the shots."

"Authority - whatever - you lose that one you lose favor," The loud mouthed one spoke up, "I want something more permanent." A discolored blush streaked itself across his face, his expression becoming questionable at best and sleazy at worst while his crooked grin twitched up further. "Prizes - prizes. Frieza gives away little gifts from conquest, and riches aren't always the only thing on the list. Y'think he's givin' away that woman from the raid?"

"If he doesn't kill her first," The woman soldier piped up, "She took out a chunk of the fleet, and she didn't seem interested in stepping down."

"Wha- He wouldn't kill her - he should just gift her out, I'll make her happy!" The two of them hooked their arms around each other, their questionable expressions now growing more an more concerning as they cackled together like perverted idiots, forcing the rational man beside them to grow exasperated, and the woman to simply utter a dry, "You fools are disgusting."

"Us?" The loudmouth perked up incredulously, pointing a wayward finger, "Tell the new guy - what are you trying to get out of the deal, Cheri?"

Pache's head tilted now to the other side, a visible question mark above her clueless little head. "Money..? Power..?" She parroted back - seeing as that seemed to be the most likely options, and she apparently had no interest in gifts. Though the girl caught the men elbowing each other as if trying to draw attention to what the woman, Cheri, was about to say.

"I just wanna get close to that handsome man," She began, dragging her nails down her glossy red cheeks as her lips now also curved up into a questionable smirk.

Oh. She wanted close to Zarbon. Pache peered up in thought - it didn't seem entirely outlandish. She suppose that one could classify him as being reasonably attractive, and she had already made a note of him being handsome beforehand. She lifted the drink that one of them had passed her, peering into the cup and smelling it idly before taking a sip-

"The only downside is having to be next to that blue lump, Zarbon-"

Pache's eyes widened, and immediately she nearly spewed the contents. Her cheeks tried feebly to keep any from coming out as she shifted her head away, eyes brimming tears from strain. "Hah!?"

Laughter erupted again, her eyes turning back. Despite the pain in her chest and throat she crammed down the drink, her mouth falling agape, "S-sorry wait. You mean Lord Frieza..?"

"No!" Cheri huffed in response, "That round, strong thick hunk of man, Dodoria."

"Is that a joke?" Pache accidentally sputtered out, forcing the table to commence in a collective howl amidst the table, and effectively drawing the attention of others who seemed to immediately know the drill.

"And she's got the nerve to call us disgusting," The other man quietly muttered, trying to keep his snickering under wraps.

"He's an acquired taste," Cheri clarified, flustered and annoyed by their judgmental remarks. She seemed to be handling her rage decently well, but as their laughing reached peak, she gripped Pache's abandoned drink, chucking it down the way at the orangey-skinned male, "SHUT YER YAP, LOQUA!"

Pache placed her hands against her cheeks. She felt maybe she was finally about to start regaining color in her face after that most unanticipated shock. "Gross-" She still managed to murmur in silent, though catching the ears of the other soldiers that repeated their quiet cackling despite Cheri's enraged retaliation.

"What do you want, girl?" The man deemed Loqua inquired, causing her to look away with a clear hesitation. To not die, be discarded, or be shoved into some unbearable cave to live out her days - that would be nice. Instead, she peered back with her somewhat still distrustful eyes, "I dunno," She casually responded.

"She's still gotta loosen up," Cheri began, plopping her chin back in her hand, "Give it a little, kid, you'll work your way in."

Pache's lips quivered with an urge to speak that the hesitance in her body immediately forebode. However, hesitantly, she parted her lips, letting a quiet, "Thanks," slip out. It wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be... though she was sure with her lingering pessimism from such negative experiences that there was a chance it could all get worse. Talking like this - interacting like this. It wasn't something she found herself used to yet. It was strange. Yet... perhaps familiar in an explicable way.

"Mm..!" Abruptly, she stood up, something appearing to dawn on her as she looked down to the other soldiers sitting around the table. "I'll be right back!" They seemed to be casually accepting, shrugging or waving her off to let her do whatever she pleased, and in that moment, she moved to the door. She waited a moment for the automatic door to peel itself back for her to poke outside, and when she did, she caught sight of Zarbon still leaning agianst the wall just outside, his eyes closed and a contemplative expression overtaking his features.

"You didn't leave then," Pache remarked, her suspicions having momentarily been proven correct.

"Of course not," He scoffed quietly, "Lord Frieza gave me the order to take you to socialize. If I abandoned that quest, I would be defying him."

Pache could very easily see the difference... Zarbon spoke on terms of a strong and unshakable loyalty, maybe out of fear, intimidation, or whatever it may have been. The others instead seemed to look for incentive or gratification. Was that just how things were, or did it just come from being in his employ for a long time..?

Either way, she cleared that thought from her head. That wasn't what she wanted to ask. She exited fully from the room, peeping around and coming to stand in front of him directly. "What was that thing that I was supposed to see? Was this it? A room full of other people?"

"It's important to socialize with your fellow grunts," Oh, that condescending tone. He didn't have to do that, but he did it anyway! He really did just love getting under her skin, didn't he? "But no," he began again, "that was an obligatory step to settling in. What you're to see is different-"

Her mouth immediately opened to pose a question about what it entailed,

"Though I won't be explaining, so don't ask,"

and it immediately shut in response. Her look grew bland as his contrarily boasted with amusement, and he waved her off idly. "Go play," He spoke so arrogantly once more, speaking as for her to go back in and socialize more. Against her will to act out a touch, she quietly obeyed an returned for now, but her curiosity raged on even more than before.

**A/N: That was like a really long and unexpected break. Now between my wisdom tooth being pulled soon and some of the stuff I'm doing with Deviantart, I hope I'll be able to post frequently. ;w; Thank you, if there are any of you left that are still reading, I'll do my best to try to keep up again. I just get side-tracked sometimes and lose motivation other times LOL. **


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